Of Love and Jealousy
by MovePeonyMove
Summary: Anna is happy that Kristoff's ice business is booming. But is she happy that he's gone? (Kristanna one-shot)


**A/N: Another Kristanna one-shot coming your way. Had to get it out of my system! Thanks for reading and leave me a review if you'd like! :) **

_Of Love and Jealousy _

Only two days have passed since The Great Thaw, and the temperatures are already record breaking. The summer heat is strong and once or twice Anna overhears someone say, under their breath, that they'd prefer the winter to have stayed. She scoffs, wiping the sweat accumulating on her forehead and heads back to the castle. She'd been scoping the kingdom, upon Elsa's request, to make sure everyone was happy and satisfied, but the sun had given her a dull headache. The heat transferred to the inside of the castle as well, but at least there wasn't any sun spots in her vision and she could always sneak into the kitchen for some ice cream, or a bag of ice to hold against her head.

Anna falls down on her bed with a thud. She's wearing her most lightweight dress, but it is still not light enough to be comfortable. Absentmindedly, she pulls the skirt up to her thighs, unbuttons her bodice. She breathes a sign of relief as the cool breeze from the open window lightly brushes against her bare legs.

Suddenly there's a knock on the door, and Anna yelps in surprise, fiddling with her bodice, but she's not fast enough. The door opens and Kristoff walks in, then stops in his tracks when he finds her half-dressed on the bed.

"Uh," he mutters, rubbing his neck and looking away. "Sorry-"

Anna groans, "No," she says, "it's so hot in this dress and I, well, _I'm_ sorry you had to see me like that."

A red tinge spreads on Kristoff's face. "I came here to tell you that uh…I need to leave Arendelle for a day or two," he says, looking at the floor.

"Why?" she asks, straightening her dress out with her hands.

"It's hot," Kristoff laughs, "the demand for ice is huge! And well I'm the official Icemaster, so…"

"Oh, of course!" Anna squeals, throwing her arms around him in a hug. She rests her hands on his shoulders when she says, "I'm so happy everything is working out with your ice business! You have my permission to leave for as long as you need!" and she brushes her lips against his in a light kiss.

Kristoff frowns, as though disappointed at her response. "Uh, see you! Don't get into trouble," he says, his lips lingering so close to hers that Anna closes her eyes for a kiss. But instead Kristoff pulls away.

"Stay safe!" she yells as he walks through the door and out of sight.

Anna watches the door for almost a minute before she snaps back from her daze. Of course she's happy for Kristoff; she'd been worried about his ice business for so long and finally those worries have completely dissipated. She would never dare force him to stay in the castle, to stay with _her_, against his will. Kristoff was a mountain man, and Anna knew she couldn't, _wouldn't_ change that about her fixer-upper.

So she represses any feelings that oppose this opinion, and despite her heavy heart, Anna heads to the kitchens to devour some much needed chocolate ice cream.

Kristoff walks to the stables with a visible frown on his face. The frown only mimics how he feels inside, foolish and maybe a little naïve. Did he really think that Anna would beg him not to leave, to stay with her, to forget his ice business because who cares about _that_ when he could spend every waking moment with her.

"No," he tells himself, "I care about my ice business. Anna knows that."

But no amount of self-reassurance eases the slight tinge of pain in his heart. Has being in love made him go insane?

And while Kristoff is off riding his new sleigh with Sven, Anna sits at the dining room table, all alone. The heat is making it hard for her to think, and the thoughts that she does have, about Kristoff, about kissing him deeper before he left seem to echo around the room and bounce back into her head with more intensity.

"What are you doing here?" Elsa says, peeking into the room curiously. On her face is an expression of concern.

"Just having some ice cream," Anna says, distracted. She peers into the puddle of chocolate milk in her bowl.

Elsa sits down next to her. "Hey," she says, "what is it?" Anna can tell that she's trying really hard to be a supportive sister, to alleviate the hurt from a couple of days ago, and well, to start mending their relationship.

"Kristoff left for an ice harvesting trip." She mumbles.

The corners of Elsa's lips turn upwards as she lets out a soft laugh. "You miss him, don't you?" She says.

Anna pouts. "I guess I do." A pause. "I was so excited that everything's working out and now I'm a wreck." She gestures dramatically.

Elsa holds her hand, "It's okay to miss someone and to be worried about them," she says. "Even if it's hard to accept how you feel." She squeezes Anna's hand.

"We should do something fun!" Anna exclaims and Elsa's lips tighten immediately.

"Oh Anna I want to, but I have to entertain some suitors tomorrow. There's still work to do."

"Suitors?" Anna's eyes grow wide. "From where? Why?"

Elsa sighs, "It seems every kingdom is under the impression that I am in a search for a King."

"Wait, what?"

"A husband, Anna." Elsa explains. "It would be rude to turn them all away. They represent some of our biggest trading allies. This needs to be done tastefully."

"So what does that mean?"

"We're going to have a ball tomorrow night. Preparations are underway," Elsa says, "I was looking for you all over the place."

"A ball?" Anna exclaims joyfully. "Another ball, oh Elsa I'm so happy!" She pulls her sister from the table by the hands, and they twirl together, Anna's anxiety about Kristoff fading away ever so slowly.

Kristoff is distracted as he's carrying big blocks of ice to the sleigh. His muscles ache underneath the weight, and all he can think about is Anna's hands running down them as she kisses him. He slips on the ice beneath his feet. The blocks crash and crack around him, and he groans as he touches his lower back to make sure nothing is hurt. He barely feels the pain; this isn't the first time he's fallen. Sven huffs at him from afar. _Get your mind out of the gutter_, he's saying.

The temperature drops as evening nears, and Anna is finally comfortable enough to leave the castle and take a walk in the garden. The breeze, cool and refreshing, blows against her face and the loose strands of her hair dance in it wildly. She wraps her arms around the waist and looks up at the sky with wonder. Is Kristoff seeing the same stars up there in the mountains?

But the next morning, there is no time for musings. The castle is hectic and loud, servants walking up and down the halls and corridors, carrying food and deserts, and kitchen hardware. Elsa isn't at breakfast, and is still nowhere to be seen later in the day, so Anna picks out a dress on her own.

"Too red, too embellished, too big, too long," she says, throwing gown after gown on a large pile. "Too thick!"

Anna lets out a long sigh.

"This one's nice," she mumbles, "but I've worn it before!"

With a groan, Anna sits down on the loveseat and looks out the castle window. The day is hot, but not as hot as yesterday. She wonders whether Elsa had anything to do with it.

"Anna, oh good, you're here!" a familiar voice calls. "Did you pick out the dress?"

"Noooo," Anna groans as Elsa approaches. "I hate_ all_ of them."

Elsa laughs, "Since when are you so picky?" and then drags her off the loveseat by the arms. "Here," she says, "tell me if you like it."

A thin stream of frost rises from Elsa's open palms. It twists and turns, and reaches towards Anna. The magic works itself around her until she is standing in a light turquoise dress, embroidered with thin white flowers. It feels cool against her skin, a welcome contrast to the heat.

"Elsa, it's beautiful," she says, giving the skirt a twirl.

"I'm glad," Elsa says, "I need you to be on your best behavior tonight. I want us to make a good impression…after everything that transpired."

"You can count on me!" Anna says, straightening out and stomping one of her feet. "I would never disappoint the Queen!"

Elsa lets out a loud laugh.

With the ice secured to the sleigh, Kristoff is ready to head back _home_, to Arendelle. To Anna. If she still wants him. Okay, maybe he's being a little bit dramatic. Maybe she doesn't know, doesn't understand just how much he loves her, _needs_ her.

Kristoff has to tell her.

"Faster Sven!" he yells.

The ball has started, but Anna is still staring at herself in the mirror. The dress Elsa made for her is more beautiful than anything she's ever worn. Delicate and soft, it hangs off of her body in all the right places. Her hair is pulled into an elaborate up-do, woven in with turquoise ribbons. On her bare neck lies a beautiful sapphire necklace, her mother's. Anna loves balls, adores them even, but she feels strange going to one tonight. As though she's missing something, _someone_. Kristoff.

Anna lets out a shaky breath. Oh how she wishes he could see her right now. How she wishes she could see him too. But she promised Elsa, so she slicks back a flyaway in her hair and walks into the ballroom.

Immediately, all eyes are on her. She smiles shyly as the members of various royal families begin to whisper around her.

"Just look at her dress," she hears an older, fuller woman mutter to her companion.

"Have you heard about her and that mountain man?" another one says.

"Oh yes, how improper for a princess!"

Anna gulps, her eyes searching for any trace of Elsa's platinum hair.

"You showed up," Elsa says from behind her, and Anna twists around, nearly tripping.

"Elsa!" she exclaims, but Elsa is not alone. Next to her is a tall, young man. His black hair is slicked back, and he regards Anna with cold propriety.

"Princess," he bows. Anna curtsies back shakily.

"This is Prince Felix of Sonland," Elsa introduces.

"Very nice to meet you," Anna says cautiously. Elsa gives her an encouraging smile.

"Shall we dance?" Felix asks, outstretching his hand towards Anna. She takes it.

"I'd love to."

Felix is an amazing dancer, his moves are swift and his footing is spot on. In comparison, Anna is klutzy and unsure. Her eyebrows crease in concentration.

"Your palace is beautiful," Felix notes, twirling her around.

"Oh thank you," Anna laughs, "but you should really be saying that to Elsa. She's the Queen!"

"Not to worry, I've already paid her the compliment."

"Well that's good…I guess." She stutters.

"And may I say that I'm impressed with how smoothly everything is running after the – shall I say, accident."

"It's perfect really," Anna says, "Elsa…Queen Elsa has everything under complete control!"

A loud bang sounds from behind the door and it opens to reveal a very disheveled Kristoff. His chest moves up and down rapidly, and his eyes search for someone among the crowd. Anna. When he finds her, his eyes stay on her for a mare moment before his face falls visibly and he walks away briskly.

"Indeed," Felix responds dryly and Anna realizes that his hands are still on her waist.

"Excuse me," she mutters, running out of the ballroom before the whispering begins.

She's running down one hall, than the other, completely breathless and so desperate. She had failed Elsa, failed Kristoff and by extension failed herself.

"Anna!" Elsa calls after her. "Anna, stop running!"

She stops, bends over and waits for Elsa to catch up to her.

"I'm sorry," she mutters as Elsa pulls her up and envelops her in her arms. "I'm sorry for ruining the ball."

"There will be more balls to come," Elsa says, "But right now, I need to calm down the crowd. We'll talk about this later." She gives Anna a tight-lipped smile and pulls away. Anna watches her walking in the opposite direction, back to the ballroom.

She stops and turns for a moment "He's probably in the shed." Anna nods and rushes off.

How stupid of him to barge into the ballroom. Sitting on a mass of hay in the royal shed, Kristoff's face burns with embarrassment, anger and jealousy. He rushed back home, wanted to surprise her, wanted to _tell_ her. He shouldn't have yelled at the guards when they tried to stop him. Most of all, Kristoff wishes he could erase the memory of Anna dancing with that prince, his arms around her waist. Hans' betrayal is still fresh in his mind.

There's the creak of the shed door opening, footsteps and Anna's small form emerging from the darkness. The only source of light is the opened window.

She's looking around cautiously, trying to find him, and she looks _so_ beautiful he could cry. Her dress, undoubtedly made by Elsa, sparkles and shines as she takes each step. When she finally looks up and locates him, the sparkle reflects in her eyes.

"Kristoff," she says his name softly, and it sends a shudder down his spine.

He doesn't say anything.

"I'm sorry,"

Kristoff bites his lip. Anna shouldn't be apologizing for his fits of jealousy. He feels guilty for acting out, for ruining the ball.

"No," he says. "No, _I'm_ sorry for ruining everything. I'm just-" Kristoff sighs.

Anna looks up at him, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"A little jealous?"

Kristoff lets out a shallow laugh. "Yeah,"

She walks up to him slowly and after a pause, sits across his lap. Her hands press against his chest, feeling his frantic heartbeat. They slide upward towards his neck and into his hair. Her face is so close that he can count the freckles on her nose and cheeks. Kristoff's arms come around her waist, up her back. The dress feels cool, but her flesh burns beneath his fingers.

"I missed you," Anna whispers, her lips lingering millimeters from his. "I'm happy your business is going well, but I don't want you to leave, _ever_."

Kristoff grunts as her words embed into his brain. He crashes his lips against hers in a hungry frenzy. Anna's writhing in his lap, her hands in his hair and on his back and fiddling with the neckline of his shirt.

He pulls away momentarily, looks at Anna with her lips bruised from the intensity of the kiss, her eyes half closed. "I need to tell you something," he whispers, "Something…something I should have told you before I left."

"That you'd miss me?" Anna breathes before leaning in for another kiss. This one isn't as intense, isn't as hungry.

"No," Kristoff says, pulling away again. "I _love_ you." The words roll off his tongue effortlessly, as though they were meant to be said again and again and again.

Anna smiles lazily, "I know."

He stays still, and Anna moves her head to kiss him on the nape of his neck, "Kristoff" she whispers. She kisses behind his ear "I", then his flaming red cheek, "love you", and finally on his slightly parted lips, "too."

Kristoff takes a deep breath of air because the moment is so overwhelming and he wants to take everything in. Anna smiles at his response, teasing him by running her fingers down his chest, abdomen and _farther_ and he can't think about anything but that Anna is finally his. She's in love with him, and he's in love with her and nothing else matters.

Who needs food or shelter when they have Anna sitting in their lap, wrapped in their arms, telling them she loves them? Not Kristoff.


End file.
